AG investigator charged in Mesa shooting death

Mesa police filed negligent homicide charges against Arizona Attorney General’s Office investigator DuLance Morin in the Feb. 28 shooting death of 32-year-old Maria Lewis, according to a March 13 news release.

Detectives said they found probable cause to support the Class 4 felony and submitted the case to the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office for review. Prosecutors said they were reviewing the case and had not yet decided whether to file charges.

The prosecution’s presentation came a day after a senior official in the attorney general’s office questioned whether Morin had committed a crime, according to an internal email provided by the office to The Arizona Republic.

In the March 12 email, Criminal Division Chief Nicholas Klingerman wrote to Attorney General Kris Mayes and top officials that, based on a police briefing, it was “uncertain whether Dee committed a criminal offense,” referring to Morin by his nickname. He added that the evidence presented “does not support negligent homicide, particularly when combined with self-defense laws.”

Mesa police identified Morin, 47, as a suspect in the case. The case was referred to the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office for review, and Morin was not arrested, according to police.

What happened on February 28?

Lewis was found with a gunshot wound outside Morin’s door, near Kinetic Drive and Reliance Way in Mesa, early on the morning of Feb. 28, according to police. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lewis was a wife and mother of seven children, ages 2 to 12, according to a GoFundMe organized by her sister-in-law.

Morin has worked for the attorney general’s office since 2016 and remains on administrative leave, according to the March 12 email. In a statement, Mayes said she was confident the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office would review all available evidence before making a charging decision.

“These are devastating and tragic circumstances that have forever altered the lives of two families,” Mayes said. “My thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Maria Lewis as they continue to mourn her loss.”

Mesa police announce charges

In its March 13 release, the Mesa Police Department said detectives conducted multiple search warrants, extensive interviews and forensic analyzes before determining probable cause to submit the charge of negligent homicide.

The department did not detail specific evidence supporting this determination.

Under Arizona law, negligent homicide is a Class 4 felony punishable by one to nearly four years in prison for first-time offenders.

The Attorney General informed

The internal email summarizes a March 12 presentation in which Mesa police briefed officials in the attorney general’s office about the investigation.

According to an email written by Klingerman, Morin told investigators he was awakened around 2:40 a.m. by loud knocking at his front door. Several people inside the home reported hearing the person outside say they were armed, the email said.

Morin lives with his wife, his two children aged 11 and 14 and his mother-in-law who lived with the family. The children’s bedrooms are in a hallway near the front door, with a children’s bedroom closest to the front door, according to the email.

Morin said he warned the person at the door that he had a gun and would shoot if anyone came in, according to the document. He later told police he did not remember how the door opened or the gunshot and described the shooting as an accident, the email said.

Morin’s son told police he heard banging at the door and was scared, according to the document. He heard Morin say he would shoot if anyone came in, according to the email. Morin’s daughter also reported hearing a person screaming outside who sounded like a man and hearing Morin tell the person to go away several times, according to the document.

The email states that Klingerman referenced Arizona’s Stand Your Ground and Castle doctrine laws when evaluating evidence presented by police.

He recommended that Morin remain on administrative leave pending review by the county attorney.

Physical evidence

The email presents several pieces of evidence discussed by investigators during the March 12 meeting.

A stone found near Morin’s front door contained Lewis’ DNA, according to the document. The email does not describe how investigators determined the DNA match or whether additional forensic analysis is pending.

Forensic tests showed stippling around Lewis’ right eye, indicating the shot was fired at close range, according to the document. The bullet casing was found outside the home, the email said. The document also states that there was no visible damage to the front door.

Morin’s weapon was a personal 9mm Glock that the attorney general’s office had approved for official use, the email said. The gun had a custom trigger, but it met Glock’s standard specifications, according to the document. Mesa police have not publicly released further details about how this evidence was considered in the probable cause determination.

What led to the shooting

Lewis was working on DoorDash from late Feb. 27 to the early morning of Feb. 28 and returned home between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., according to the email.

Her husband told police she smelled of alcohol when she arrived home and the two argued before she left the house, the email states. The email does not reference any toxicology results, and Mesa police have not released information about whether Lewis had alcohol in his system.

A neighbor reported hearing screaming between 2:15 a.m. and 2:20 a.m., according to the document. Mesa police have not publicly detailed Lewis’ movements between leaving his home and arriving at Morin’s doorstep.

Morin’s home had four Ring cameras, but the front door camera was broken at the time of the shooting, according to the email. The remaining cameras did not capture footage of the incident, the document states.

Stephanie Murray and Shawn Raymundo of the Arizona Republic contributed to this article.

Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com and connect with him at Instagram, Topics, Blue sky And X (formerly Twitter) to @ReyCJrAZ.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AG investigator charged in Mesa shooting